About INSTEON

What are some popular uses of INSTEON?

Because INSTEON was developed specifically for home control and automation the possibilities of an INSTEON network are limited only by your imagination and the types of INSTEON-enabled devices on your network. Let your garage door opener tell your kitchen lights to come on, or let the 'play' button on your remote simultaneously close the blinds, dim the lights and turn on the surround sound. Don't settle for a smoke alarm that simply alerts you, insist on one that will illuminate your family's exit route. Whether you're looking for a basic lighting control system or envision a fully integrated and automated Smart Home of Tomorrow, if you can dream it, you can do it with INSTEON.

Press a single button on the remote control next to your bed to turn off all the lights in your house

Create dinner-time, party-time or other whole-house scenes

Create a pathway to safety for young family members by scheduling lights to turn on when the smoke detector is triggered

Reduce energy costs by setting fans to turn on and blinds to close instead of triggering the air conditioning when thermostats reach a designated set point

Receive an instant text message on your cell phone when a leak is detected in the basement

What is INSTEON used for?

Scene and remote control lighting

Wireless security alarm interfaces and sensors

Home wireless alarms & sensors (e.g., water, humidity, temperature)

Access control (e.g., door locks)

Heating and cooling (HVAC) control and management

Audio-video control

Appliance management

Fire alarm system networking

Exhaust fan control and networking

Irrigation control

Shade and blind control

Who makes INSTEON Products?

Over 500 manufacturers and developers are currently engaged with INSTEON -- ranging from large manufacturers (RCA, First Alert, BroanNuTone,etc.) to smaller software developers. A wide range of products and software are under development and expected to ship soon.

Why is INSTEON more reliable than other Power Line Communication technologies?

INSTEON messages travel throughout the home via Power Line Communications (PLC) signals on the existing house wiring. As the messages make their way to INSTEON devices being controlled, they are picked up and re-transmitted by all other INSTEON devices along the way. This method of communicating, called a mesh network, is very reliable because each additional INSTEON device helps to support the overall network. To further ensure reliability every INSTEON device confirms that it has received a command. If an INSTEON Controller does not receive this confirmation it will automatically re-transmit the command up to five times.

Further Enhancing Reliability

As signals travel via the power line or RF throughout the home they naturally become weaker. The best way to overcome signals getting weaker is to increase the coverage of the mesh network by introducing more INSTEON devices. It is possible that some audio-video products, computers, power strips or other electrical equipment may attenuate INSTEON signals on the powerline. You can temporarily unplug suspected devices to test whether the INSTEON signal improves. If it does then you can plug in filters available from Innovative Home Systems that will permanently fix the problem.

Using INSTEON Access Points to Upgrade Your INSTEON Network

INSTEON Access Points are ideal for improving signal strength and network coverage throughout your home. In addition, using two INSTEON Range Extenders provides a wireless path for INSTEON signals to travel between the two separate electrical circuits, called power line phases, found in most homes. Without a reliable method for coupling opposite power line phases, some parts of your home may receive INSTEON signals intermittently. With at least one Access Point plugged into one of the power line phases, and at least one more plugged into the opposite power line phase, INSTEON powerline signals will be strong everywhere in your home.

How do INSTEON enabled products affect X10 signals?

If your existing X10 devices seem to be working less reliably after installing INSTEON devices, remember that INSTEON devices can absorb X10 signals just as X10 devices do, and that INSTEON devices do not repeat X10 signals. Installing INSTEON-compatible BoosterLinc X10 Signal Boosters can increase X10 signal levels.

The INSTEON technology allows manufacturers to develop products that are both INSTEON-compatible and X10-ready. Homeowners with existing X10 networks can easily migrate to an INSTEON network without having to discard all their existing X10 devices. Please note that INSTEON devices repeat INSTEON signals and not X10 signals. Also, since INSTEON devices are typically capable of X10 transmissions, the signal attenuation characteristics associated with X10 transmitters are also inherent with every INSTEON device. For this reason, while INSTEON networks become stronger as they grow, legacy X10 signals on the same network will be significantly attenuated to the eventual point of failure.

About Us

Innovative Home Systems, LLC the Denver, Colorado INSTEON automation store was founded in 2003. In 2010, we introduced GarageHawk®, the original INSTEON enable garage door monitoring and closing system and were awarded U.S. Patent # 7,989,760 for this popular product.

We are an authorized INSTEON dealer serving Denver, Colorado and the world. Visit our sister site, www.innovativehomesys.com for rock bottom prices on the full line of INSTEON products. Call or email us if you have any questions about INSTEON automation.

We take the time to explain the technologies we sell in understandable terms, allowing our customers to make educated decisions concerning the purchase of new technologies or upgrade of existing systems.